Clothesline pulley



June 1,1927. 1,633,506

A. J. WHELAN CLOTHESLINE PULLEY Filed May 26. 1926 fidwlaza 'v INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 521, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTIN J. WHELAN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

CLOTHESLINE PULLEY.

Application filed May 26, 1926. Serial No. 111,814.

This inventionrelates to clothes line pulleys and is an improvement over that'type.

of clothes line pulley shown and described in my' U. S. Letters-Patent #1,57 6,387 granted March 9th, 1926.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a reel of tape adjacent the pulley wheel, said tape adapted to overlie the lower lead of a clothes line to protect the clothes to be hung thereon from dirt and dust which might accumulate thereon, and a means for automatically paying out the tape as the lower lead of the line is fed away from the pulley wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reel of tape which may be detachably associated with the pulley wheel so as to be capable of removal therefrom when not in use, to prevent its exposure to the elements.

A further object is to provide a guide for the tape in its passage from the reel to the clothes line to regulate the tension on the tape to prevent too rapid paying out of the tape, and to also assure that the tape reaches the line in a flat condition and not twisted.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clothes line.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the reference numeral designates a supporting bracket constructed of a single piece of flat metal and bent to provide a pair of spaced arms 11 and 12, Within which a shaft 13 is journalled for rotation. The bend in the bracket serves as an eye 1 1 for supporting the device from a hook 15 or other similar element. The shaft 13 is provided with a rounded portion 16 and a squared portion 17, which square portion extends beyond the arm 12 for a purpose to be presently described.

A clothes line pulley wheel 18 is fixed to the rounded portion 16 of the shaft for turning movement therewith and is disposed between the arms 11 and 12 ofthe bracket. A clothes line 19 passes about the pulley wheel to provide a pair of spaced leads 20 and 21.

Removably associated with the squared portion 17 of the shaft is a reel 22 containing a roll of flexible tape 23, while the center of the reel is provided with a squared bore 24 for the reception of the squared por tion 17 of the shaft whereby the reel will be rotated simultaneously upon'rotation of the pulley wheel. The arm 11 of the bracket supports a guide 25 which includes a vertically disposed arm 26 having spaced openings 27 therein for the passage of the respective leads of the clothes line. The bracket is twisted and bent at right angle to the arm 26 to form a horizontally disposed arm 27 having a slot 28, in alignment with the reel 22. The slot 28 opens to the end of the arm 27' to permit the tape to be inserted therein for guiding the same in its unwinding or winding movements.

In practice, when desired to apply the covering of tape to the lower lead 21 of the clothes line, the top lead 20 is pulled toward the pulley wheel causing a reverse movement to the lower lead 21. This movement causes rotation of the pulley wheel which imparts rotation to the shaft 13 and corresponding rotation to the reel. The tape is led through the slot 28 and is fixedly connected to the lower lead 21 by anordinary clothes pin. It will therefore be seen that as the lead 21 moves outward, the tape is automatically unwound or paid out so as to lie upon the clothes line, where it is held by clothes pins at suit-able spaced intervals. The tape therefor provides a covering for the clothes line as it will be appreciated that dirt and dust accumulate on clothes lines when left in the open, resulting in the soiling of wet clothes hung thereon to dry.

When the line is pulled in to remove the clothing therefrom, a reverse turning move ment is imparted to the pulley wheel, thus causing the tape to wind about the reel, and when fully wound thereon, the reel may be removed by sliding the same off the squared portion of the shaft by pulling outward thereon and the same taken indoors. The walls of the slot 28 serve to place a slight tension on the tape during the'winding and unwinding of the reel, so as not to cause twisting and tangling of the tape between the reel and the clothes line.

lVhat is claimed as new is A device of the class described comprising rial bent upon itself to provide a pair of v spaced parallel arms, a shaft'journalled in said arms and having a squared portion extending'outwardly beyond one of said arms, a pulley Wheel fixedly mounted on said shaft and interposed between saidarmaand avreel having a square bore for the reception of the squared portion on said shaft, said reel adapted to contain a length of tape for covabout said pulley Wheelfand a tape and clothes line guide carried by one of said arms and extending forward of said pulley Wheel and sand reel.

In testimony whereof I'have atfixed my 5 slgnature.

AUGUSTIN J. WHELAN. T 

